Heidelberg focuses on lean manufacturing and ecological printing at IPEX

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Press release from the issuing company

At IPEX 2010, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) will be showcasing its extensive portfolio of state-of-the-art technologies and services for lean and ecological print production. Under the slogan HEI Performance - HEI Value, Heidelberg will be presenting its portfolio of solutions for the entire value-added chain in the advertising and packaging printing sectors, including workflow integration, consumables, comprehensive services, and consultancy activities. What's more, the company will also be demonstrating opportunities for generating new business in the areas of web-to-print, creative print applications to stand out from the competition, short-run printing, and packaging production. With this broad spectrum at IPEX 2010, Heidelberg will be offering by far the largest range of information among suppliers in the sheetfed offset printing industry During the eight days of IPEX, Heidelberg will be presenting its complete show appearance in a climate neutral manner - including travel to and from the event by booth staff and the paper used in the practical demonstrations during the show.

"Given the current market situation, print shops are focusing on two key questions - how can I maximize the efficiency of my operations and how can I ensure environmentally friendly print production? Heidelberg will be providing answers to these questions at the number one industry event in 2010 by presenting a range of enhanced solutions offering an optimum price-performance ratio," says Bernhard Schreier, CEO of Heidelberg.

Efficient print production with the Prinect print shop workflowHeidelberg will be showcasing its trade show innovations within the Prinect print shop workflow to highlight that this area plays a key role in the lean manufacturing of print products. For example, the company will be presenting enhanced color and quality management and modules for greater transparency. Also on display will be a range of color measuring and control system innovations whose performance spectrum is geared even more closely towards cost-effectiveness and quality and that further improve color and quality management in print shops. Prinect Easy Control is a completely new entry-level color measuring system for the Speedmaster SM 52 and SM 74. For print shops, this means shorter makeready times, more consistent print quality, and better press performance.

What's more, Prinect boasts new functions in all areas of production. Heidelberg will also be unveiling two partner programs that are designed to help Prinect users generate new business and further boost the efficiency of their print shops. For example, one partner program comprising six web-to-print solution suppliers enables Prinect users to quickly open up demand-based business models for online production and marketing of printed materials. Another partner program geared towards the cooperation of manufacturers of management information systems (MIS) is aimed at further improving the interfaces between third-party MIS systems and the Prinect print shop workflow from Heidelberg so as to enable users to harness additional productivity. Such interfaces are already in use in a number of successful customer projects.

Prinect-S from Heidelberg is a compact workflow integration solution that is perfect for small and medium-sized print shops looking to move into lean print production.

A new version of Prinect Pressroom Manager will make it easier for users to effectively link the pressroom to prepress and/or a third-party management information system (MIS). In future, Prinect will also offer extended productivity reporting and documentation of the carbon footprint.

Lean and ecological print production will go hand in hand in the futureTaking in live demonstrations of the company's key trade show innovations, visitors to the Heidelberg booth in Hall 8 will be able to see for themselves that environmental awareness and cost-efficiency are not mutually exclusive.

In prepress, customers working with the Suprasetter A 52 or A 75 have access to the Dual Top Loader enabling fully automated plate feed for two different plate sizes, thus further raising the level of automation of this series. At the same time, the machines in this series require far less power than comparable models from the competition.

The new Speedmaster CX 102 is celebrating its world premiere. Designed for industrial offset printing, this press is capable of reaching production speeds of 16,500 sheets per hour and ranks between the Speedmaster SM 102 / CD 102 and the Speedmaster XL 105. This press puts the finishing touch to the 70 x 100 cm format range and ensures that Heidelberg has the perfect solution for every press speed and level of productivity.

Users of the Speedmaster XL 105 can now benefit from a non-stop system at the delivery, which takes the press' productivity and process reliability to a new level. Pile management has been automated, with the pile now being sent directly to postpress. This procedure helps minimize the washup time. For example, depending on the print job at hand, two washup cycles can easily be eliminated for blankets, which amounts to 40 percent less startup waste after washing.

CleanStar, which has been available for other Speedmaster models for quite some time, can now also be employed with the Speedmaster XL 75. This reduces fine dust levels in the pressroom by up to 80 percent, thus raising the availability of the press while cutting the cleaning workload.

In the area of short-run printing, Heidelberg will be unveiling a Speedmaster SM 52 Anicolor with new coating unit and high-pile delivery with new DryStar Coating dryer. This press, which provides a cost-effective entry-level solution for surface finishing technology, is over 80 centimeters (31.50 inches) shorter and therefore requires less space and less energy.

In the area of foil finishing, Heidelberg will be presenting the first FoilStar module with index function. This enables savings on materials of up to EUR 0.09 per print sheet.

Based on an annual print output of six million sheets, this new index function results in savings in foil consumption equivalent to around 200 tons of CO2. It also enables users to stand out from today's crowded marketplace through new print products.

Higher productivity in postpress, tooIn postpress, Heidelberg will be showcasing innovations that raise the level of automation in this area further still. For example, it will be unveiling the Stitchmaster ST 450 saddlestitcher with newly developed feeders and the new Streamfeeder for automated loading. As the only company to supply upright feeders, Heidelberg has further improved the ergonomics of these machines by adding a height-adjustable jogging table. Users benefit from improved processing quality and higher productivity.

The new pneumatic twin lay system for the Stahlfolder TD 94 buckle plate folder will be making its first appearance at a trade show. Two features have been added to these machines to significantly increase their productivity: The sheet to be folded is simply rotated 90 degrees at the feeder and a pneumatic twin lay system is located before the second folding unit. This makes it possible to align and transport the fold sheets in parallel at the second folding unit using two side lays. As a result of the sheet's shorter feed length at the same machine speed, the performance is increased by around 30 to 40 percent depending on the sheet format.

The POLAR CutManager facilitates the online connection of high-speed cutters to the Prinect Postpress Manager, thus enabling their integration into the entire Prinect print shop workflow.

Customers benefit from the industry's most comprehensive range of servicesAt the center of the trade show booth, visitors will have the opportunity to collect information on the extensive range of services provided by Heidelberg. These services are designed to ensure the continuous availability of equipment while also raising the productivity of print shop operations as a whole. Services for high availability include equipment servicing at customer sites, Remote Service functions, spare parts supply and Systemservice contracts. Consulting services focusing on lean manufacturing, ecological printing, and efficient organization of print shop operations help boost productivity, while the Print Media Academy provides training services. Experts from the Heidelberg service team will be on hand at the trade show to answer any questions visitors may have on all these topics.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to see for themselves the high performance of Saphira consumables and pick up the latest information. They will be shown how Saphira products and the range of available services enable them to make the most out of their equipment, while also helping to protect the environment. The Saphira Chemfree plate is one such example. It delivers faster imaging without the use of chemicals. The Anicolor Performance Kit helps further reduce waste from presses using Anicolor technology. Furthermore, washup solutions, dampening solutions, and natural inks and coatings are also available for a wide range of applications.

Generally speaking, all Saphira products meet the statutory requirements for environmental protection. Some even surpass them. More and more Saphira products bear an eco label, informing users that suppliers are certified in line with environmental standard ISO9001/ISO14001. What's more, these green credentials do not mean that users have to compromise on machine compatibility, performance, or print quality.

Innovative applications combining print and digital mediaVisitors to the Heidelberg booth will also be shown how creative applications can be used to combine the world of printing with new and/or digital media. For example, Heidelberg will be presenting its "Prinect Mobile" concept study, which enables Prinect users employing a Prinect Pressroom Manager with Analyze Point in their print shop to use their smartphone to view the status of their print jobs and access information on the print shop's current productivity. Heidelberg is using this concept study to show users what is technically possible in this day and age and to test their interest in such applications.

In terms of print applications, Heidelberg will be presenting a high-finish calendar comprising 365 individual pages and styled by Japanese designers. iPod and iPhone users can download this 'App' from the Internet onto their cell phones to get a new and original background on their phone each day.

George Clarke, Managing Director of Heidelberg UK and President of IPEX 2010, has the last word: "This year, IPEX 2010 is the best opportunity for users to get the lowdown on the latest industry technology and use this as a basis for making sound investment decisions. The trade show provides the ideal meeting point and platform for an international audience, and the time is right for companies to prepare for the upturn after the crisis."